Removable stirrup for pant leg



Feb. 11 1969 s. COLMAN REMOVABLE STIRRUP FOR PANT LEG Filed Se t. 7, 1965 Zia 5 nos C 04. MflN INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,426,362 REMOVABLE STIRRUP FOR PANT LEG Sade Colman, 910 S. Los Augeles St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90015 Filed Sept. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 485,275 US. Cl. 2-232 Int Cl. A41d 1/06, 13/02 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to garments and more particu larly a casual type garment for sport wear where there is need on some occasions for holding the pant legs to a trim, straight fit, but where occasion may arise for wearing the pants with a looser fit.

Stretch pants, ski pants and certain other types of casual plants and trousers are often worn advantageously with stirrups at the bottoms of the legs. Almost invariably occasions arise where the wearer prefers to release the stirrups. On some occasions this is done in a somewhat casual or even sloppy fashion by merely slipping the stirrups over the heels and either letting them dangle or tucking them up under the cuff of the pant leg. Changing trousers is not always convenient and, of course, requires a more extensive wardrobe. Although partially removable stirrups have been suggested, removable on one side only, this expedient is for many obvious reasons unsatisfactory. The usual means of attachment are not acceptable for trim stretch garment type trousers which depend upon a slim, tapered appearance at all times to preserve the original attractiveness of the garment which means that the bottom edge of the trousers or cuff portion must not be made conspicuous by any auxiliary attachment means.

It is, therefore, among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved garment featuring stirrups at the bottoms of the pant legs wherein the stirrup is removable at will but wherein, furthermore, the bottoms of the pant legs always preserve a neat, tailored appearance, whether the stirrup is on or off the pant leg.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved removable stirrup construction for a pant leg making use of a slide fastener device wherein the slide fastener itself is attached to the pant leg in such a fashion that it contributes to the smooth, streamlined exterior appearance both when the stirrup is attached and when the stirrup is removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved removable stirrup construction for a pant leg wherein the attachment structure serves a multiple purpose, namely that of attaching the loop-like stirrup member to the pant leg and also that of stiffening and reinforcing the bottom of the leg.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new removable stirrup construction for a pant leg which is simple and inexpensive in construction, which is easy to operate when the stirrup is to be taken off or put back on, and further one which is virtually circumferential in its attachment so that there will be no unsightly bulge at the ends of the slide fastener.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the ob jects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view showing a pair of pants or trousers with removable stirrups attached.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, partially broken away to show the means of attachment.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional perspective view of the device of FIGURE 2 with the stirrup attached.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bottom edge of the plant leg with the stirrup removed.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the stirrup alone at a location removed from the pant leg.

In an embodiment of the invention which is shown primarily for illustration, a pair of pants 10 has legs 11 and 12 extending downwardly from 21 waist band 13, the legs terminating in lower ends or cuffs 14 and 15 respectively. Attached to the cuff 14 is a removable stirrup 16, and a similar stirrup 17 is attached to the cuff 15. Both stirrups, 16 and 17, and their means of attachment are identical so that only one will be described in detail.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the cuff 14 includes an inwardly directed fold along the lower end portion of the pant leg 11 to form a hem 18. A line 19 of stitching may be used in a conventional manner to attach the hem 18 to the cuff 14. In addition, a stiffening layer 20 is provided in the hem 18 as shown in FIGURES 3 to 5, and may be secured therein by the line 19 of stitching. If desired, the stiffening layer 20 may be formed from material manufactured by the Pellon Corp. of New York and known commercially by the trademark Pelomite. The type 308XL Pelomite, which has a layer 20a of adhesive material dispersed over one side thereof, was found suitable and prevented unsightly folds and wrinkles from forming along the cuff 14. In this manner, the trim appearance desired and obtained is retained. It should be noted that the line 19 of stitching need only pass through the stiffening layer 20 and the extreme lower end of the pant leg 11 with the adhesive layer 20a facing outwardly. Thus, when folded, the adhesive layer 20a is disposed in contact with the inner side of the cuff 14 and, on applying heat such as with a steam iron, the layer 20a becomes permanently bonded to the cuff 14. There then exists no visible evidence of the line 19 of stitching.

A slide fastener band is employed as the removable attachment means. The ban-d consists of a first complementary section 2111 attached to the hem 18 and a second complementary section 21b attached to the stirrup 16. The first complementary section 21a is preferably a fabric strip provided with fastener elements 22. A line 23 of stitching is used to attach the section 21a to the hem 18. Overlying the side face of the section 21a is a skirt 24, which may be attached to the hem 18 and, if desired, to the section 21a by the same line 23 of stitching already referred to as the means for fastening the section 21a to the hem 18. It is significant to note that the breadth of the skirt 24 may be the same as or slightly greater than the combined breadths of the sections 21a and 21b inclusive of the fastener elements 22. In addition, the section 21a preferably extends virtually throughout the entire inside circumference of the cuff 14. The section 21a likewise is preferably covered throughout its entire length by the skirt 24.

The stirrup 16 is preferably a loop of fabric having ends 25 and 26 substantially wider than a mid-portion 27. A line 28 of stitching is employed to fasten the end of the stirrup to a portion of the section 21b of the slide fastener band. A similar line 29 of stitching is employed to fasten the end 26 to another portion of the section 2117. An appreciable space is left between adjacent corners of the ends 25 and 26 respectively at what is approximately the mid-portion of the section 21b and section 21b is long enough to extend almost around the full perimiter of the cuff. Opposite ends of the section 2112 are separated when the stirrup 16 is removed as suggested in FIGURE 5. It is, further, preferable to have a slide of the slide fastener band at the rear corner of the stirrup 16. To achieve this, the free ends of the section 21a are located at the rear of the cuff 14, the section 21a being continuous around the front of the cuff 14. When the stirrup 16 is to be attached, the slide 30 is moved against a conventional stop 31 of the section 21b and a can ventional starting peg (not shown) at the starting end of the section 21a is inserted into the stop 31 through the slide 30. The slide 30 is then passed over the sections 21a and 21b in the customary fashion to engage the fastening elements 32 of the section 21b with the fastening elements 22 of the section 21a throughout almost the entire circumference of the cuff 14. While this is being accomplished, the skirt 24 can be turned upwardly out of the way. After the slide fastener has thus been engaged the skirt 24 can be turned down to the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 5, and the pant leg with the stirrup attached is ready for use. As has already been suggested, the free ends of the slide fastener band are at the rear of the cuffs 14 and 15, and hence there will be a slight distance remaining between adjacent edges of the stirrup ends 25 and 26 at the rear as well as at the front.

When the stirrup 16 is to be removed, it is necessary only to lift the skirt 24 again out of the way and release the slide 30, passing it over the length of the slide fastener band whereupon the stirrup 16 is entirely removed and can be separated from the cuff 14. When the stirrup 16 is removed, the skirt 24 continues to cover the remaining section 21a and the fastener elements 22 thereon. The multiple layers of fabric, exemplified by the outer portion of the cuff 14, the hem 18, the section 21a and the skirt 24 provide a firm, tailored appearance to the cuff 14 which is the trim look desired of a garment of this kind, and at the same time the skin of the wearer is prevented from being chafed as it might be by the fastener elements 22 by the interposition of the skirt 24.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. In a pair of pants having fabric legs with removable stirrups, the combination comprising stiffening means including a hem having a layer of stiffening material disposed therebetween along the bottom portion of each of said legs; said hem having a free edge forming the bottom edge of each leg; stirrups having substantially opposing shorter sides; and means including a fastening structure for removably attaching said stirrups to said pair of pants, and fastening structure comprising a first section extending substantially throughout the full circumferential length of said hem and attached thereto, the lower edge of said section being spaced from the free edge of said hem a distance about equal to the breadth of said section and a second section of a breadth sub stantially equal to the breadth of said first section fastened to each of said opposing shorter sides, said second section having a length substantially equal to the length of said first section, each opposing side of each stirrup having a length less than one half the length of said second section, said second section being selectively attached to said fastening structure along the lower edge thereof at predetermined locations along said hem whereby said first and second sections are covered by said hem, the force applied to said stirrups being transmitted through said hem and carried by said pair of pants in trim appearance configuration.

2. In a pair of pants having fabric legs with removable stirrups, the combination comprising stiffening means including a hem having a layer of stiffening material disposed therebetween along the bottom portion of each of said legs; said hem having a free edge forming the bottom edge of each leg, stirrups having substantially opposing shorter sides; means including a fastening structure for removably attaching said stirrups to said pair of pants, said fastening structure comprising a first section extending substantially throughout the full circumferential length of said hem and attached thereto at a location whereby the .lower free edge of said first section is spaced from the free edge of the hem a distance about equal to the breadth of said first section, a second section of a breadth substantially equal to the breadth of said first section fastened to each of said opposing shorter sides, said second section being selectively attached to said fastening structure along the lower edge thereof at predetermined locations along said hem whereby said first and second sections are covered by said hem; said second section having a length substantially equal to the length of said first section, each opposing side of each stirrup having a length less than one half the length of the secend section, and skirt means for providing a protection covering over said fastening structure, including a downwardly extending band like member having a width greater than the combined width of said first and second sections, the lower edge of said skirt being no lower than the bottom edge of the leg, the force applied to said stirrups being transmitted through said hem and carried by said pair of pants in trim appearance configuration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,360,953 10/ 1944 Lippman 2--232 2,471,086 5/ 1949 Ackerman 2--8O FOREIGN PATENTS 1,287,504 2/1962 'France.

759,924 10/ 6 Great Britain. 970,698 9/ 1964 Great Britain.

H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner. 

